US Army Cold regions research and Engineering Laboratory
Funds are provided to build on activities of the Seasonal Ice Zone Observing Network (SIZONet). SIZONet Phase I led to the development of the sea-ice system services (SISS) concept, describing societal benefits (and potentially negative impacts) derived from the ice cover. By assessing the nature and extent of SISS, the PIs are able to build a sea-ice observing network that is responsive to the needs of both the scientific community and key stakeholders. SIZONet builds on collaboration with several international partners, and spans the entire latitudinal extent of the Arctic seasonal ice zone (SIZ). Based on common protocol and coordinated observation strategies developed in the context of an international working group led by the project team, SIZONet Phase II refines and narrows the scope of the project and focuses on sustaining core observations. The aim is to provide data and information to scientists and stakeholders that: (1) address the most urgent information needs identified by the Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH) and related efforts; (2) meet sea-ice user information needs, centering on access, use of ice as a platform, and ice as coastal hazard and regulator of coastal erosion; (3) contribute to development of down-scaling approaches for climate modeling and remote sensing; and (4) are directly tied to SISS, allowing existing collaborations to grow into partnerships that can help track and predict Arctic environmental change and meet long-term information needs.
Observations include shore-based and drift-ice measurements of ice motion, key mass-balance variables and critical snow and ice properties such as albedo, as well as airborne ice thickness and property surveys. Measurements in coastal ice, of greatest interest to key stakeholders, include hydrographic moorings, survey measurements and integration of satellite imagery. Local ice observations and joint ice-trail mapping provide a link between sea-ice geophysics and indigenous sea-ice expertise. All SIZONet data is ingested into an archival and dissemination system linked to the Alaska Ocean Observing System, the Geographic Information Network of Alaska, and the Cooperative Arctic Data and Information System.
